Why and how to delete cookies and cache from your browser

Clearing cookies and cache removes stored website data from your computer. Cookies are small files that websites save to remember your login information, preferences, and browsing habits. Cache is a folder of images, scripts, and other files that your browser stores so websites load faster the next time you visit. Deleting both can free up disk space, speed up a slow browser, fix websites that won't load properly, and reduce the amount of tracking data companies hold about you.

The steps differ slightly depending on which browser you use — Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge — but the process takes less than two minutes in any of them. You can delete everything at once or choose a specific date range, and you can protect certain sites from being cleared if you want to stay logged in to them.

Key Takeaways

  • Clearing cache and cookies removes stored website data and can fix loading problems, speed up your browser, and reduce tracking.
  • Each browser has a different menu path to the clearing tool, but all are found in Settings or Preferences.
  • You can choose to clear all history or just data from the last hour, day, week, or month.
  • Clearing cookies will log you out of most websites, so have your passwords ready or use a password manager.
  • You can set your browser to clear cookies and cache automatically every time you close it.

How to clear cookies and cache in Google Chrome

Open Chrome and click the three vertical dots in the top right corner. Select Settings from the dropdown menu, then click Privacy and security in the left sidebar. Click Clear browsing data.

A window will open with three dropdown menus. At the top, choose your time range — All time clears everything, or you can pick Last hour, Last 24 hours, Last 7 days, Last 4 weeks, or Last 3 months. Make sure the boxes next to Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files are checked. You can leave the other boxes checked or unchecked depending on what else you want to remove. Click Clear data at the bottom right.

How to clear cookies and cache in Mozilla Firefox

Open Firefox and click the three horizontal lines (hamburger menu) in the top right corner. Select Settings, then click Privacy & Security in the left sidebar. Scroll down to the Cookies and Site Data section and click Clear Data.

A small window appears with two checkboxes. Make sure both Cookies and Site Data and Cached Web Content are checked, then click Clear. If you want to choose a time range instead of clearing everything, use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+Delete (or Cmd+Shift+Delete on Mac) to open the full History window, select your time range from the dropdown, and check both boxes before clicking Clear Now.

How to clear cookies and cache in Safari

Open Safari and click Safari in the menu bar at the top of the screen. Select Clear History from the dropdown. A window will ask how far back you want to clear — choose All history to remove everything, or pick a specific time period. Click Clear History.

This clears history, cookies, and cache all at once in Safari. If you want more control over what gets deleted, go to Safari > Preferences > Privacy and click Manage Website Data to see individual sites and remove only the ones you choose.

How to clear cookies and cache in Microsoft Edge

Open Edge and click the three horizontal dots in the top right corner. Select Settings, then click Privacy, search, and services in the left sidebar. Under Clear browsing data, click Choose what to clear.

A window opens with a time range dropdown at the top. Select All time or your preferred range. Check the boxes next to Cookies and other site data and Cached images and files, then click Clear now. You can also turn on the toggle for Clear browsing data under Clear browsing data to automatically delete this data every time you close Edge.

What happens when you clear cookies and cache

After clearing, you will be logged out of most websites. The next time you visit a site that required a login, you will need to enter your username and password again. If you use a password manager like Bitwarden, 1Password, or the built-in password manager in your browser, this process is automatic — the manager will fill in your credentials for you.

Websites may load slightly slower the first time you visit them after clearing cache, because your browser has to read all the images and files again instead of using stored copies. After that first visit, they will load normally. Some websites may also forget your preferences — for example, a news site might reset the font size or language you had chosen. You can reset these preferences the next time you visit.

How to automatically clear cookies and cache when you close your browser

If you want to clear this data without doing it manually each time, you can set your browser to do it automatically. In Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Clear browsing data, and turn on Clear cookies and site data when you quit Chrome. In Firefox, go to Settings > Privacy & Security, scroll to Cookies and Site Data, and check Delete cookies and site data when Firefox is closed. In Edge, go to Settings > Privacy, search, and services and toggle on Clear browsing data under the Clear browsing data section.

Safari does not have a built-in automatic clear option, but you can use the Develop menu (enable it in Preferences > Advanced) to manually clear cache. Alternatively, you can use a third-party tool or script to automate this, though most Safari users straightforward clear manually once a week or month.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will clearing cookies and cache delete my saved passwords?

No. Passwords are stored separately from cookies and cache. When you clear cookies and cache, your saved passwords remain in your browser's password manager. You will be logged out of websites, but your browser can log you back in automatically using the saved password.

Can I clear cookies for just one website instead of all of them?

Yes. In Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, you can right-click on any website and select Delete cookies for this site or visit the site's settings in your browser's data management tool. In Safari, go to Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data, find the site in the list, and click Remove.

How much space will clearing cache free up?

Cache size varies widely depending on how much you browse. For most users, clearing cache frees up between 100 MB and 1 GB of disk space. You can check how much space your browser is using before clearing by looking at your browser's storage settings.

Will clearing cookies log me out of everything?

Yes, clearing cookies will log you out of most websites because cookies store your login session. Some sites use other methods to keep you logged in, but the majority rely on cookies. You will need to log back in the next time you visit.

Is it safe to clear cookies and cache?

Yes, it is completely safe. Clearing cookies and cache does not damage your browser or computer. The only inconvenience is that you will need to log back into websites and some sites may load slightly slower the first time you visit them after clearing.